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Plasma-wall interaction in laser inertial fusion reactors: novel proposals for radiation tests of first wall materials
Authors:
J. Alvarez Ruiz,
A. Rivera,
K. Mima,
D. Garoz,
R. Gonzalez-Arrabal,
N. Gordillo,
J. Fuchs,
K. Tanaka,
I. Fernandez,
F. Briones,
J. Perlado
Abstract:
Dry-wall laser inertial fusion (LIF) chambers will have to withstand strong bursts of fast charged particles which will deposit tens of kJ m$^{-2}$ and implant more than 10$^{18}$ particles m$^{-2}$ in a few microseconds at a repetition rate of some Hz. Large chamber dimensions and resistant plasma-facing materials must be combined to guarantee the chamber performance as long as possible under the…
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Dry-wall laser inertial fusion (LIF) chambers will have to withstand strong bursts of fast charged particles which will deposit tens of kJ m$^{-2}$ and implant more than 10$^{18}$ particles m$^{-2}$ in a few microseconds at a repetition rate of some Hz. Large chamber dimensions and resistant plasma-facing materials must be combined to guarantee the chamber performance as long as possible under the expected threats: heating, fatigue, cracking, formation of defects, retention of light species, swelling and erosion. Current and novel radiation resistant materials for the first wall need to be validated under realistic conditions. However, at present there is a lack of facilities which can reproduce such ion environments.
This contribution proposes the use of ultra-intense lasers and high-intense pulsed ion beams (HIPIB) to recreate the plasma conditions in LIF reactors. By target normal sheath acceleration, ultra-intense lasers can generate very short and energetic ion pulses with a spectral distribution similar to that of the inertial fusion ion bursts, suitable to validate fusion materials and to investigate the barely known propagation of those bursts through background plasmas/gases present in the reactor chamber. HIPIB technologies, initially developed for inertial fusion driver systems, provide huge intensity pulses which meet the irradiation conditions expected in the first wall of LIF chambers and thus can be used for the validation of materials too.
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Submitted 13 February, 2024;
originally announced February 2024.
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Calibration of BAS-TR image plate response to GeV gold ions
Authors:
D. Doria,
P. Martin,
H. Ahmed,
A. Alejo,
M. Cerchez,
S. Ferguson,
J. Fernandez-Tobias,
J. S. Green,
D. Gwynne,
F. Hanton,
J. Jarrett,
D. A. Maclellan,
A. McIlvenny,
P. McKenna,
J. A. Ruiz,
M. Swantusch,
O. Willi,
S. Zhai,
M. Borghesi,
S. Kar
Abstract:
The response of the BAS-TR image plate (IP) was absolutely calibrated using CR-39 track detector for high linear energy transfer (LET) Au ions up to $\sim$1.6 GeV (8.2 MeV/nucleon), accelerated by high-power lasers. The calibration was carried out by employing a high-resolution Thomson parabola spectrometer, which allowed resolving Au ions with closely spaced ionization states up to 58$^+$. A resp…
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The response of the BAS-TR image plate (IP) was absolutely calibrated using CR-39 track detector for high linear energy transfer (LET) Au ions up to $\sim$1.6 GeV (8.2 MeV/nucleon), accelerated by high-power lasers. The calibration was carried out by employing a high-resolution Thomson parabola spectrometer, which allowed resolving Au ions with closely spaced ionization states up to 58$^+$. A response function was obtained by fitting the photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL) per Au ion for different ion energies, which is broadly in agreement with that expected from ion stopping in the active layer of the IP. This calibration would allow quantifying the ion energy spectra for high energy Au ions, which is important for further investigation of the laser-based acceleration of heavy ion beams.
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Submitted 21 February, 2022;
originally announced February 2022.
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Beamed neutron emission driven by laser accelerated light ions
Authors:
S. Kar,
A. Green,
H. Ahmed,
A. Alejo,
A. P. L. Robinson,
M. Cerchez,
R. Clarke,
D. Doria,
S. Dorkings,
J. Fernandez,
S. R. Mirfyazi,
P. McKenna,
K. Naughton,
D. Neely,
P. Norreys,
C. Peth,
H. Powell,
J. A. Ruiz,
J. Swain,
O. Willi,
M. Borghesi
Abstract:
We report on the experimental observation of beam-like neutron emission with peak flux of the order of 10^9 n/sr, from light nuclei reactions in a pitcher-catcher scenario, by employing MeV ions driven by high power laser. The spatial profile of the neutron beam, fully captured for the first time by employing a CR39 nuclear track detector, shows a FWHM divergence angle of 70 degrees, with a peak f…
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We report on the experimental observation of beam-like neutron emission with peak flux of the order of 10^9 n/sr, from light nuclei reactions in a pitcher-catcher scenario, by employing MeV ions driven by high power laser. The spatial profile of the neutron beam, fully captured for the first time by employing a CR39 nuclear track detector, shows a FWHM divergence angle of 70 degrees, with a peak flux nearly an order of magnitude higher than the isotropic component elsewhere. The observed beamed flux of neutrons is highly favourable for a wide range of applications, and indeed for further transport and moderation to thermal energies. A systematic study employing various combinations of pitcher-catcher materials indicates the dominant reactions being d(p, n+p)^1H and d(d,n)^3He. Albeit insufficient cross-section data are available for modelling, the observed anisotropy in the neutrons' spatial and spectral profiles are most likely related to the directionality and high energy of the projectile ions.
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Submitted 16 July, 2015;
originally announced July 2015.
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Characterisation of deuterium spectra from laser driven multi-species sources by employing differentially filtered image plate detectors in Thomson spectrometers
Authors:
A. Alejo,
S. Kar,
H. Ahmed,
A. G. Krygier,
D. Doria,
R. Clarke,
J. Fernandez,
R. R. Freeman,
J. Fuchs,
A. Green,
J. S. Green,
D. Jung,
A. Kleinschmidt,
C. L. S. Lewis,
J. T. Morrison,
Z. Najmudin,
H. Nakamura,
G. Nersisyan,
P. Norreys,
M. Notley,
M. Oliver,
M. Roth,
J. A. Ruiz,
L. Vassura,
M. Zepf
, et al. (1 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
A novel method for characterising the full spectrum of deuteron ions emitted by laser driven multi-species ion sources is discussed. The procedure is based on using differential filtering over the detector of a Thompson parabola ion spectrometer, which enables discrimination of deuterium ions from heavier ion species with the same charge-to-mass ratio (such as C6+, O8+, etc.). Commonly used Fuji I…
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A novel method for characterising the full spectrum of deuteron ions emitted by laser driven multi-species ion sources is discussed. The procedure is based on using differential filtering over the detector of a Thompson parabola ion spectrometer, which enables discrimination of deuterium ions from heavier ion species with the same charge-to-mass ratio (such as C6+, O8+, etc.). Commonly used Fuji Image plates were used as detectors in the spectrometer, whose absolute response to deuterium ions over a wide range of energies was calibrated by using slotted CR-39 nuclear track detectors. A typical deuterium ion spectrum diagnosed in a recent experimental campaign is presented.
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Submitted 14 September, 2014; v1 submitted 13 August, 2014;
originally announced August 2014.